Dr. Kevin Nickell, MD
What this data tells you about Dr. Nickell
Dr. Kevin Nickell is an urology physician in Houston, TX, with 20 years in practice. Based on federal Medicare data, Dr. Nickell performed 4,386 Medicare services across 2,467 unique beneficiaries.
Between the years covered by Open Payments, Dr. Nickell received a total of $11,927 from 65 pharmaceutical and/or device companies across 468 individual payments. These payments are legal, publicly disclosed under the federal Sunshine Act, and common in urology physician. Most payments are for meals and travel — low-value interactions common across virtually all practicing physicians. Patients may wish to discuss these relationships with their provider.
The Data Coverage level for Dr. Nickell is Very High — reflecting how much public federal data is available about this provider. This is not a quality rating. Patients are encouraged to use this data as one of several factors when choosing a healthcare provider.
Medicare Practice Summary
Medicare Utilization ↗Top procedures by volume
Ranked by number of services performed for Medicare patients. Avg. submitted charge is what the provider billed; avg. Medicare payment is what CMS paid.
| Procedure | Volume | Avg. paid | Avg. submitted |
|---|---|---|---|
| Automated urinalysis | 932 | $2 | $2 |
| Chronic care management, first 20 min/month | 733 | $46 | $65 |
| Office visit, established patient (30-39 min) | 693 | $87 | $135 |
| Office visit, established patient (20-29 min) | 514 | $64 | $94 |
| Blood draw (venipuncture) | 358 | $8 | $9 |
| Leuprolide acetate (for depot suspension), 7.5 mg | 242 | $131 | $186 |
| Bladder ultrasound after voiding | 115 | $8 | $11 |
| New patient office visit (30-44 min) | 85 | $79 | $119 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, low complexity | 78 | $40 | $51 |
| Hospital follow-up visit, moderate complexity | 71 | $64 | $82 |
| New patient office visit (45-59 min) | 67 | $116 | $177 |
| Drug injection, under skin or into muscle | 62 | $11 | $15 |
| Administration of hormonal anti-neoplastic chemotherapy under skin or into muscle | 61 | $24 | $35 |
| Office visit, established patient (10-19 min) | 59 | $43 | $58 |
| Simple insertion of temporary bladder tube | 56 | $49 | $64 |
| Ceftriaxone antibiotic injection | 50 | $0 | $1 |
| Electronic assessment of bladder emptying | 28 | $11 | $15 |
| Initial hospital care with straightforward or low level of medical decision making, per day, if using time, at least 40 minutes | 25 | $67 | $86 |
| Initial hospital admission, moderate complexity | 21 | $105 | $134 |
| Removal of prostate gland using an electrocautery knife through urethra with control of bleeding using an endoscope | 18 | $571 | $749 |
| Insertion of tube into ureter using an endoscope through bladder area | 17 | $89 | $322 |
| Biopsy of prostate gland | 17 | $94 | $251 |
| Ultrasonic guidance for needle placement | 17 | $22 | $31 |
| Diagnostic exam of bladder and urethra using an endoscope | 15 | $163 | $250 |
| Crushing of stone of ureter with insertion of stent using an endoscope | 15 | $308 | $425 |
| Imaging of urinary tract following injection of a contrast agent | 14 | $19 | $25 |
| Ultrasound scan of pelvic region through rectum | 12 | $94 | $142 |
| Injection of biodegradable material next to prostate | 11 | $2,381 | $2,999 |
Industry Payment Transparency
Open Payments through 2024 ↗Payment profile
Industry payments classified by relationship type. Not all payments are equal — research and consulting reflect different relationships than speaking programs or meals.
Payment trend by year
Annual totals from pharmaceutical and medical device companies.
Payments by company (2024)
Associated products mentioned in payments ›
Most payments (100%) are for meals and travel — low-value interactions that are common across virtually all practicing physicians.
Geographic Context
0.0 mi
Data Sources
| Provider Registry | ✓ NPPES | Weekly updates |
| Medicare Enrollment | ✓ PECOS | Monthly updates |
| Practice Data | ✓ Medicare Util. | Annual (CY lag) |
| Industry Payments | ✓ Open Payments | CY 2024 |
| Disciplinary History | — Not public | N/A |
This provider has data in 4 of 4 available federal datasets, with a Data Coverage level of Very High. This measures how much public data is available about a provider — not how good they are. How we calculate this →
Summary
Dr. Nickell is a clinical cardiology specialist, with above-average Medicare volume (top 27% in TX), and high industry engagement (low-engagement, top 17%), with 20 years of practice experience.
This summary is auto-generated from federal data. It describes data availability and patterns — not clinical quality. Read our methodology →
Frequently Asked Questions
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All data on this page is sourced verbatim from public federal records published by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS): NPPES ↗, Open Payments ↗, Medicare Provider Utilization ↗, and PECOS. Publication is mandated by the Physician Payments Sunshine Act (§6002 ACA, 42 U.S.C. §1320a-7h) and the Freedom of Information Act.
This page is not medical advice, an endorsement, a recommendation, or a quality rating. The Transparency Score measures data completeness — how much federal information exists for this provider — not clinical performance, patient outcomes, or quality of care. Always verify information directly with the provider and consult a licensed clinician before making medical decisions.
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